First On the Lake

Okay, maybe we weren’t the first ones on the lake, but it is still pretty early. Over the weekend we were able to get further on the lake than we were June 10 of 2009. That goes to show how quickly summer has come to Yellowknife.

There was no shortage of activity on the lake, motorboats, sailboats, float planes, kayaks and canoes all sharing the lake. Even though there are no marked pathways or speed signs, it always seems like there is order out there. Everyone respects everyone else.

The ice had opened up enough for us to get out to the Mink Ranch, a local fishing hole. The popular fish in this hole is obviously Northern Pike or Jackfish because it is so shallow, but occasionally you might catch White Fish or even Inconnu. Surprisingly enough within only a couple of casts both anglers had an Inconnu on the line. They are a nice fish, big and fat and good to eat. They also do not have sharp teeth which makes getting your lure out barbless single hook lure out. Unfortunately, these fish do not handle the stress very well and take a bit of work to snap back to life when releasing them.

After having no more luck fishing, we started to head back towards town. We went along the edge of the ice, just to see what we could see. The ice had not fully crystallized yet, and was still very strong even on the edge. I dangled my feet off the boat on to the ice. Although I didn’t put all my weight on the ice, I would be willing to bet I could stand in that spot. That is not to say the entire pan of ice was that thick, it could have been just that spot. None the less it was a neat experience to once again be boating beside the ice we were snowmobiling on 2 months earlier.

Do you ever enjoy the lakes? How do you do it, by motorboat, sailboat, canoe, kayak or just good old fashion swimming?